feralshade's Reviews

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

3/10

Half of a film directed by half of a team...and it's half as enjoyable

3 January 2024

I didn't like this movie for 2 reasons:

1st, the film suffers from the same curse as other films that try and bring classic icons out of retirement, (Indiana Jones, Rocky, etc). It focuses so much on nostalgia and aging that it's more about grief than excitement. They tried to introduce a few interesting nuances, but it's like spreading chocolate frosting on a stale cake.

2nd (as my title suggests), this is only half a story. The original trilogy had a brilliant balance between the hero's individual journey and the expansion of the lore. This story was essentially an articulation of "what happened to Neo and Carrie?" It doesn't really honor or effectively explore what's going on in the larger universe.

In short, this isn't a new chapter, it's an epilogue...or a eulogy.

I understand this was Lana's allegory for her grief of her parents' passing. Artists need to express. Masterpieces comes from experience.

But I personally didn't enjoy following that white rabbit.

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Cosmos (I) (2019)

9/10

Great movie!

21 June 2021

I usually don 't enjoy indy films. Many have flat, incoherent, or otherwise uninspired scripts and direction.

However, Cosmos somehow transcended that, making for a film that I found was tremendously more compelling and thrilling than many Hollywood blockbusters I've seen. Throughout I kept wondering if this film had a theatrical release--it was that good.

Clearly Cosmos demonstrates that it's not the resources that determine the quality of a film, it's the talent behind the resources, and I truly hope the Weaver brothers have a long career ahead of them.

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Synchronic (2019)

3/10

This movie is marhmallows

26 January 2021

Warning: Spoilers

Remember when you were very young, and thought it'd be a really great idea to eat a huge plate full of marshmallows for dinner--then, much later you realized, out of common sense (or hopefully not experience), that it was a terrible idea and you'd have gotten sick?

That's exactly what the tone this movie is like. On the surface, it answers the question, "what if all the characters are stoned?" Something that can and has worked (somewhat) for comedies, but absolutely ruins a drama like Synchronic. After 10 minutes of watching literally all the characters lazily bumble around (a cop says, "don't touch cause it's like evidence or whatever."; a mother says, "haha i think you broke my baby", etc), I began to lose interest too. I feel like half the movie was watching drugged paramedics drive to different deceased OD victims. Literally all the ambulance calls were drug overdoses. There was nothing that compelled me to engage with the characters.

When it finally arrived at the scifi bit---the time-travel mini plot device that attracted me to this film in the first place, it wasn't developed at all. It's like the writers had no appreciation for the genre, and just played connect-the-dots at 2am so they could just get it over with and turn their attention back to the non-scifi bits---which was essentially nonexistent.

The characters were poorly written--not just in terms of non-meaningful dialogue, but also in the progression and depth of their relationships and personal growth...of which, there was no evidence for either.

Here's what I think happened: Anthony Mackie (brilliant performance and actor in general) was handed a script, liked the premise at quick glance, and signed on without knowing who the director was. The director then treated the project like a toddler finger painting on a wall....which is to say awfully (except in the eyes of the director and his friends).

This is my new example of how a bad director can ruin a film. Though I also blame Mackie's agent for allowing his client to see this script. That actor has too much talent for it to be squandered with bad representation.

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The Lie (2018)

4/10

Solid acting, but not the Horror movie I'd expected

1 November 2020

I stumbled upon this film during a search for popular horror movies to highlight my Halloween festivities. This one was near the top of IMDB's list.

I won't try and debate its value as a horror movie. It obviously and simply is not. I wanted a cow and ended up with a pig. It's a fine pig, but is hardly a substitute for the intended cow. It lacks the terror, dread and essential thrill to be a passable horror film. Likewise, most horror movies are lightly interwoven with fantastic elements to engage the viewers. This movie doesn't attempt to do so.

That's fine. It's the type of work that would find a welcome niche among Lifetime/Hallmark channel dramas. Or perhaps as a true-crime docudrama somewhere. Or even on a network that features morality-centered family programming.

But in no circumstance bearing the Horror movie label. That's my issue. The movie was okay, but IMDB's labeling misled me a bit. The antiquated equivalent of visiting a Blockbuster store and finding that they gave you the right case containing the wrong movie.

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God v. Satan: The Final Battle (2008 TV Movie)

9/10

viewer comment

2 February 2009

I found this documentary incredibly intriguing--both in a historical and theological context. It was refreshing that it objectively analyzed viewpoints from all three western religions. (personally I'd have liked to have seen correlations to additional religions/belief systems noted, but clearly that would have overextended the program's duration.) I also liked the graphic effects. The images/clips were such that they were graphic enough to sufficiently emphasize the content--yet abbreviated enough that the audience would not be likely to mistakenly associate it with 'televangelical' or melodramatic religious films/series.

Lastly, Avery Brooks was a superb choice as a narrator. The quality of vocal presence he's attained as a professor and stage actor is very evident. I hope he uses this small role as a stepping stone to revive his on-screen acting career.

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